Category: CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PROFESSION

Engineering, as a profession, involves transforming science into technology for the benefit of humanity. Mechanical, electrical, civil, and chemical engineering are the big four engineering disciplines, accounting for over half of the bachelor’s-level engineering degrees granted in the United States. Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering dealing with the transformation of species at the…

The U.S. Department of Labor maintains an extensive database of labor and economic statistics through its Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov). The career information about duties, education, training, pay, and current and future prospects for practically any occupation can be found in the Occupational Outlook Handbook (www.bls.gov/ooh) published by the Bureau. The handbook lists the myriad industries—chemicals,…

A chemical engineer performs a number of different tasks in the chemical industry or an organization engaged in chemical business. The tasks and responsibilities of the chemical engineer that are described in this section are based on the concept of engineering as the transformation process from science to technology. Consider the case of manufacturing a…

As with engineering, a clear and concise definition that captures the essence of chemical engineering is not readily available. The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the professional society of chemical engineers in the United States, defines chemical engineers as follows: Individuals who use science and mathematics, especially chemistry, biochemistry, applied mathematics, and engineering principles,…

The evolution of engineering is essentially a history of civilization. As early humans transitioned from a nomadic existence into settlements, there arose a need for permanent structures and systems for handling water and wastewater demands. Civil engineering developed in response to these needs, and even today one can marvel at the systems developed by engineers…

Engineering has been considered as the practical application of science for over two centuries. ABET, Inc., formerly the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (www.abet.org), the organization that evaluates and accredits college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology in the United States and many other countries, defines engineering as follows: Engineering…